Speeches by Vickers.

“Q Having read the Bill, is there anything that concerns you, anything you think we should be doing a bit more of, or any things that you would like to see in the Bill that are not in the Bill? Baroness Newlove: I only have 15 minutes, so I will not drag on. I welcome what is in the Bill, there are some issues on mandat…”

“Q Earlier we heard legal opinions about the fact that moving offences under £200 into triable either way could lead to significant delays. On prolific offenders coming time and again, it was suggested earlier that speedy justice is effective justice. Do you think it is important that justice is dealt out speedily in th…”

“Q As part of the Criminal Justice Bill there was a proposal that anybody responsible for three incidents of assaulting a retail worker or shoplifting should be mandatorily subjected to a curfew, a tag or a ban. Do you think there is a role for curfews, tags and bans in dealing with this problem? Paul Gerrard: As I said…”

“Q As you will have seen, we get lots of people in here who are very familiar with this place, and then every now and again we get people who are brave, committed and dedicated to making a change and making the world a better place. Thank you for coming and for all your campaigning on this issue. All power to your elbow…”

“Q I realise I have been on my retail hobby horse. More broadly, do you have any other concerns about the Bill? Are there any measures you would like to see featured that are not featured? Oliver Sells: Could I touch on a subject that troubles me? It is implicit in the Bill, and it is not necessarily a popular view. The…”

“Q Could we do anything else to tackle the problem of hyper-prolific offenders—this small group of people who are responsible for a huge volume of offences? Sir Robert Buckland: That is a very difficult issue that I looked at carefully when I was in the Government. One of the challenges, of course, is that the offences …”

“Q Amendments were tabled to the Criminal Justice Bill that would have seen it mandate a ban, a tag or a curfew for anybody responsible for three incidents of shoplifting or assault on a retail worker. What are your thoughts on that, as something that has been taken out of this Bill? Sir Robert Buckland: Again, it is a …”

“Q Is there anything in the Bill that gives you cause for concern? We would obviously be interested in Robert’s views on that £200 threshold as well. Are there any measures that you would like to have seen in the Bill that you have not seen in it? Sir Robert Buckland: There are a couple of things, Mr Vickers. First of a…”

“Q In terms of hyper-prolific offenders, obviously a lot of time is being taken by a small number of people. Is there anything we can do in that space to make the job easier? Dan Murphy: If you have someone who is a prolific offender, and the police are constantly dealing with them and there are constant victims, the be…”

“Q We know that a small number of people are responsible for a huge volume of the crimes we are discussing. Do you believe there are sufficient powers to deal with hyper-prolific offenders and to imprison them? Do you think we should be doing anything in that space? I would also be interested in the views of the other t…”

“We would welcome anything you write to us.”

“Q Do you have any other comments on entry without a warrant being narrower in this Bill? Dan Murphy: I think there is a role for the Government and Parliament to communicate that it is a power that has been given to policing. It is not something that policing is searching for and trying to use. The public need to under…”

“Q Entry without a warrant is drawn more narrowly in this Bill than it was in the Criminal Justice Bill. Do you think it gives you the tools you need to do the job? Are there any concerns about that? Dan Murphy: I think it gives you the tools to do the job, but whenever you enter private homes, you only have to look at …”

“Q Could you comment briefly on begging, which we saw brought forward before? What would you like to see if we do include anything to that end? Chief Constable De Meyer: The point in respect of begging is that, although we were generally supportive of the inclusion of nuisance begging in the provisions, it would require…”

“Q This is a huge, broad Bill that brings forward lots of measures and powers. Hopefully, it is welcomed by the great men and women you represent. Having looked at the Bill, is there anything that you find concerning? Is there anything that it is possible to improve? More broadly, are there any measures that you would l…”

“Q Having read the Bill, is there anything that particularly concerns you? Is there anything you think we could improve on? Are there any measures that you would like to see in the Bill that are not there as it stands? Councillor Garratt: At the London Assembly, a big part of our work is scrutinising the Met police, inc…”

“Q Having read the Bill, is there anything that concerns you or anything you think we could improve, or are there any measures that you would like to see in it Bill that do not currently feature in it? Dr Newport: There are some points that might be helpful to bring up in broad terms. One of the chief issues that I have…”

“Q42 I have a lot of history with this Bill and familiar faces to me. I am delighted to see the assault on a retail worker offence, but what more do you think we can do to protect retail workers? Do you have any thoughts on the Food and Drink Wholesale UK suggestion that we should have included a similar offence for who…”

“Q There are limitations on the ability of the police to seize them from places including private dwellings. Do you have a view on that? Councillor Garratt: In terms of vehicles, I think that is positive. Another thing about private dwellings or properties, which is not related to vehicles, is the provisions on GPS-trac…”

“Q We have heard lots of comments about fly-tipping, and we know it comes at huge cost to the taxpayer and local authorities. The measures in the Bill talk about guidance. The last Government increased fines and penalties for these offences. If the guidance can maximise the impact that local authorities can have and the…”